St. John Parish Council eliminates automatic pay raise for parish president

The next time the St. John the Baptist Parish president is eligible for a raise, the Parish Council will be able to vote on whether he or she gets one.

The council on Tuesday voted unanimously to do away with the automatic pay raise for the parish's chief executive that it adopted in 2008 at the behest of former Parish President Bill Hubbard by approving a resolution written by Councilwoman Cheryl Millet.

Councilmember Cheryl MilletMillet, who opposed the provision when it was adopted, said afterward Tuesday's vote that she was unsurprised by the outcome.

"I never would have proposed something unless I was sure it would pass," she said. "There were three people who said they might change their minds about it before the meeting."

Hubbard asked for the raise, saying the president's salary was too low for the chief executive of a $59 million per year operation. He asked that his salary be raised to the same amount as the sheriff. His pay went up from $81,267 to $123,318 annually.

Millet's measure keeps the salary linked to the sheriff's, but it requires a two-thirds vote to do it each time. The Parish Charter says the president's salary cannot be raised more often than every other year.

In response to questions about whether the resolution was sufficient, Parish Attorney Jeff Perilloux told the council that all previous raises have been granted by that method, rather than by ordinance.